ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2923, 23 March 1910, Page 57

ATHLETICS.

FIXTURES. Easter.—lnter-'Varsity Tournament at Christchurch. April 2. —Victorian Championships, Melbourne. July 2. —English Amateur Athletic Championships, London.

NOTES BY AMATEUR

The season of racing so far as amateur athletics is concerned at this end of the island is over. Looking back, we cannot congratulate ourselves on having produced anything particularly sensational in the way of athletes generally. As a cold truth, amateur athletics here are in a rather dead state; not that there is no enthusiasm — there is of a kind, but it is not the proper kind. We want a guiding hand to take us up again; and, more, we want a higher standard of athletics generally. It is not enough for the public to know that .B athletic meeting iff taking place; they must be attracted there by some outstanding performer or performers. This is what counts with the casual public. They want something for their money and value for their time. Until we can raise our athletes to the standard of the shield-holders of Wellington, I fear me with all our enthusiasm we will not get the public to take a. keen interest in the pastime. Dunedin is suffering a lean year, and it may, and possibly will, take a season or two to adjust matters and bring amateur athletics back to their proper place, and not alone in the eyes of the public, but in the athletes themselves. The 6ea6on, too, sees the retirement of that fine athlete, Gerald Heddell, whom at any stage we can. ill afford to lose. I am not alone in my prayers that Keddell will change his mind before next season, and turn out again to defend his Australasian championship title when the big meeting comes to be decided. - , Writing of this, it behoves the local authorities to advance the cause of' the Australasian championships being held in Dunedin. No opportunity L must be lost in impressing the council of the necessity of holding the championships here. Wellington, we may take it, will be strongly favoured because of its geographical position, but Dunedin also has claims on position, and not only on position, but because of the. fillip it will give amateur athletics at this end of the island. Auckland has already had the New Zealand championship meeting.- Unfortunately, 'tis true the weather was all against any profit being made of it, but the influence of the gathering of champion athletes should do inestimable good in arousing' the Aucklanders to the possibilities of the sport. Wellington, strong in athletes, and of a consequence strong in its support by the general public, is, or should be, independent of anv assistance from such a gathering as the Australasian championships. Christchurch, like Dunedin, .can do with a big function where the stai athletes of Australasia will congregate. If Dunedin, fails to secure the; championship meeting, I trust the New Zealand Council will not overlook the claims of Christchurch. Meanwhile, knowing the local conditions so well, I trust Dunedin will be honoured with the confidence of the New Zealand Council. The question of which city will provide the largest gate will influence the council greatly in its decision on the allocation of the Australasian championships, and it must not be forgotten that this is of much significance. Yet, too, the council, while protecting its centres and itself from loss, must keep its mind focussed on the one point which makes for the utmost good of amateur athletics. The council must see to it that the trail of the shilling does not blind it to the open spaces and wider interests of the sport throughout the Dominion If amateur athletics on field and track show a slump there is ample evidence in the enthusiasm being displayed at the annual meetings of harrier clubs that the winter sport of harrierism is going to boom again this season. I rather fancy that in some of the clubs there is a tendency to overdo club racing, and would suggest, that instead of* each club holding races, a oombirted winter harrier athletic meeting be arranged, and held on. say, the Caledonian or Carisbrook Ground or, if neither of these grounds were available, at lahuna Park or some other suitable turt. A. meeting such as this would create a much wider interest amongst the harriers and the general public than the usual races held by the clubs individually. I would like to. see the suggestion taken up and given a to Magnus Johnson on the honour conferred upon him by his club, the Dunedin Harriers, who with some enthusiasm at its annual meeting elected him president. There was much enthusiasm, too, over the appointment of Geo Jackson as captain of the club and of D. P. Thomson as deputv. Both these men should make good officers. _ - \ The ideal secretary is hard to secure, and when he does materialise, as in the case ot N Anderson, of the Dunedin Harriers, he is not to be lost if efforts only are required to retain him. Efforts, however were unavailable to retain the services of N Anderson *"ho has had t.be satisfaction of having the appreciation of his brother harries expressed in enthusiastic terms. When it came to the appointment of a. successor, the position was "hard to fill. . The maionty present, at the annual meeting Ot tno V. 0.. suddenly found thev had various other duties to attend to. Eventually, fcfter much badinage, W. M'Dougall came to the rescue, and if I read him correctly he will make a worthy secretary. . . Harry Murray, who has been one of the mainstavs of the Dunedin Harriers for fch© past seven years, and who captained the club last season, has reluctantlv had to re; tire from leading the pack. This owing to ties that we wot; of. Neverthel&r.s Murray was prevailed upon to over the important post of treasurer, which is a solace to the members of the D.H. I should like to mention other names m the Dunedin Harriers which stand for enthusiasm —notablv A.. Cannon, P. S. Romei-il. D. Melville. L. West. H. Burk, the committee generally, and R. J. Jackson, who, if I mistake not, was Jhe of the founders of the harrier movement in Dunedin. In the Running Hitrh Jump Championship at Hobart. E. K. Russell, after the 'Mump in" at 4ft 9in. in turn cleared sft. sft 6in. sft llin. sft and 6ft. Russell is leaving almost immediately for England, but hopes to be back for the next Australasian Championships in Npw Zealand. The well-known South African distance runner. K. K. M'Arthur, was booked to lea/e Capetown by the Saxon on February 9 for London, his special mission being the

' English Ten Miles Championship.. and, haS it eventuated, he was to have competed in the "Marathon" race at Athens. A fund was ceing raised tc cover his expenses when the last mail left, and it was anticipated that £3OO would be raised. Referring to the walking contests afc the N.Z.A.A.A. meeting at Auckland the Herald says: —"The walks were the most unsatisfactory events of the day, and many keen sports consider they were the only J blot on the gathering. Ken. Cashman. i Rogers, Bannett. and Morrison commenced I in the Three-mile by walking in faultless j style, but Wilson never 'locked' from the j time he got on the track, and carried his i head too far forward to pass the recent ! style. Kerr aad Cashman's leg action waa I straighter than Wilson's, who walked! ] throughout with bent knees. It was nofi j surprising that Kerr relaxed a little in the last mile. It is the irony of fate for Kerr, who had lost championships through keen, judging before he adopted a faultless style, to be beaten by a loose style. Cashmattj retired in the Three-mile at six laps, bufc finished third in the Mile. One of the ' Auckland representatives, Bennett, has re-' i cently arrived from England, and is said | to be the ex-North of England champion.; j He is big in condition, but shows a nice style." South Africa in general, and Durban, ! Natal, in particular, is losing one of ita idols in the person of Reg. E. Walker.' ;'The wonderful little sprinter has taken a,] '. position in London, a change that, on> | account of the better company and keener*. competition now available, should make 'on [ even more wonderful sprinting efforts than' ' ever. The sad effect of this news to ua j is (says "Mercury") that it would appear j to effectually settle any dream of getting! J Walker to pay the Dominion the visit thaft' j fell through last season. , Messrs W. G. Talbot, hon. secretarv^ ; treasurer to the N.Z.A.A.A.-, W. A. Wood< ' ger, and G. P. Keddell, the Australasia^ champion sprinter and hurdler, represent the Dominion in the portrait section of , Spalding's Official Athletic Almanac for i 1910. In the match between R. J. Scott anrf ! A. Bain, at Stratford, in which the formei . had to throw the big Scotsman three time* j within the hour, Scott found the propped i tion too hard for him to accomplish. Bainj j who weighs 16.9, made no attempt to dej feat Scott, but remained strictly on th« ' defensive, while the Stratford man mada 1 strenuous efforts to turn him over. Qna | fall was given in favour of Scott, but the ' decision was a*rery doubtful one, even the j champion admitting it was not a true pin ' fall. Try as he might, and he knows every, ! trick of the game, Scott could not besfe ' the visitor's stolid defence, and after an! hour's effort without success lost the match. i A sensation has been caused in American ■ athletic circles by the suspension of 70 j Buffalo athletes who signed, a round robin ! on the subject of prize value at the forthj ooming games. What roused the ire of ' the A.A.U. was the threat that the athletes would, if their demands wore noi ' granted, boycott the games. The athlete* | claim that as their requests do not go j beyond the bare ]imits---65 dollars (£ls). in | all for one event—they have broken no ! A.A.U. law. j The burning question as to whether ' amateur footracers should or should no j receive expenses bids fair to be alwa3 ? s with < us. One effect of the English Amateur i Athletic Association's ruling, is (says an English writer) that, although a team's i travelling expenses may be paid by the 1 club which it represents in competition, ' those expenses may not be accepted from, : though offered by, the opposing side. Thus. 1 ! although the Metropolitan Racing Club of I France volunteered to subscribe £3O towards the Birchfield harriers' expenses of sending a team to Paris for their international race on the 30th inst., the Birchfield were forced to reject the offer. In face of the ! avidity with which the A.A.A. accepted from the pooir Greeks the sum of £2OO to J split up among the few English athletes who went to Athens in 1906, and the £350 which the said A.A.A. received for taking the English championships to the Stadium ' in 1908 the majority of sportsmen will think the ruling body's action somewhat strange.; DUNEDIN ANGLICAN HARRIERS. ] The fifth annual meeting of the Dunedin I Anglican Harriers was held in Kroon's Tea : Rooms, George street, on Thursday night,'Mr A. Washer (president) occupied the ! chair, and there. Were about 30 members ' present. Several apologies were received for non-attendance. The President, in moving the adoption of the report, said it was one of the most satisfactory they had had since the inception of the club. The attendance had been very good, especially at the gatherings where the Harriers were entertained. It. was not only'the run that the Harriers enjoyed, but the social evening that followed. It was right that clubs, of this kind should form friendships among young fellows. He wished to. add that some time last year a number of doctors complained about young fellows taking on harrierism without training. It had a tendency to strain the heart. Therefore, before commencing the season let them practice beforehand. One could not expect to run five.or six miles or more without some exertion. He also desired to say this: Since their last meeting the city had been visited by Lord Kitchener. Not only should young fellows think of snort —they should think of defending- their countrv. Looking round the meeting he saw onl? one of their number who belonged to a Volunteer corps. He hoped that before the season was out all the members of the club would have joined the Territorial Force of New Zealand.—(Anplause.) .Mr L. G. Lilly seconded the motion, which was carried. The balance sheet, showing a credit balance of £5 9s lid. was also adopted. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows:—President. Mr Alfred Washer (re-elected) : vice-preside-nta —Messrs J. Allen. M.P., Thos Somerville, C. G. White, C. H. Statham. W.. T. TaL boys, L. G. R. Ritchie (re-elected): captain, Mr P. W. Breen (re-elected); deputv captains—Messrs George G. Notman arid F Lawrence: hon. auditor, Mr W. Forrester (re-elected); delegate to Otago Centre, I N.Z.A.A.A., Mr R. H. Marryatt (re- | elected); hon. handicapper. Mr J. T. I Hamann (re-elected) : hon. secretary and trea--1 surer, Mr A. C. Smith (re-elected): General 1 Committee—Messrs P. W. Bi-eon, George G. i Notman. F. Lawrence. R. 3.. Morryat.fc, lA. C. Smith, F. H. Bass, and C. R. I Murray. I The opening run was fixed for the first t Saturday in April. 1 Four new members were nominate**

It was decided that the club subscription be 5s if paid by the 30th June and 7s 6d if not then paid. The following gentlemen contributed items to the programme: Messrs Percy Wilson, Geo. S. Notman, W. D. Rutherford, P. W. Breen, and A. C. Smith. Mr J. H Ban- kindly actod as accompanist.

ST. ANDREW'S HARRIERS,

The tenth annual meeting of_ the St. 'Andrev's Harriers was held at Kroon 8 JEtooms on Monday night. There was a good attendance of members. Mr E. Roseveaj (president) occupied the ctoan. An apology was read from Mr J. Strutbers, one of the vice-presidents. Tihe Chairman, in moving the adoption ot the report has been published) and balance sheet, regretted the absence ot their secretary (Mr G. A. Scott), who had removed to Wellington. He referred to the good running that members had shown, and to the fact that no complaints had rfceen mad© as to conduct. He was not sure, he said, what effect the passing ot ,tbe act for compulsory military service ■■would have on such a clib as theirs, and ' -with their runs on Wednesdays, but he hoped it would not be found to interfere -*witi their sports. The report showed that » nur.ber of priz» had been given to the «dub for competition, and he remarked that there; appeared to be a growing spirit annom-st young fellows to look too much oTwfnningprfzes. He did not think that question should enter into their consideration at all, but they should look only to ! the honour of winning, for it was UM training they went through in preparation for contests that would do them good. The balance sheet, submitted by Mr A. Marshall (treasurer), showed that the receipts for the year amounted to fcZo lHs lia ,Th> expenditure left a balance in hand 01 S 5 17s lid, so that the actual expenditure was £2O 2s. The liabilities were nil. The motion foi the adoption of above was. seconded by Mr J. R. Dreaver, and carried

OFFICE-BEAEEKS. The following were appointed officebearers for the current year-.-President, Mr R. H. Scott; vice-presidents-Messrs ■A Struthers, E. Rosevear ■ T. K. Sidey, M P H E Clark, W. Wilkinson, and J. Bremner; captain, A. Marshall; dcputy-cap-tein, T E. Meredith; secretary, 1. >. Titchener; assistant secretaries, Messrs U. Forens and R. Aitken; treasurer, Mi J. K. •Roxburgh; delegates to Dtago Deng, Messrs J R. Dreaver and P. E. litciienei, A. H. Thomson and D. H Barrie; committee-Messrs J. R. Dreaver, D. Sinclair, and A. Allan; handicapper, Mr A. Foster. The opening run was fixed for Apnl W. •0& to be named by the committee preliminary run. on April 6, fiom tot. M STmSion of Mr Marshall, it was agreed to recognise the services of Mi U. A g Scott their°late secretary (who had removed to Wellington , by placing on the .minutes an appreciative reference to his SSkSI and to authorise .the committee to make a smtable presentation to him. Mi \ Mian supported the proposal, which was carried unanimously by acclamation. Seven new members were elected.

; -WERSHAM CLUB. The fifth' annual report-to be submitted at the annual general meeting says: lhe committee desires to place on recoKlonejOf the most successful seasons in the club s his tory This is very largely accounted for by the keen interest displayed by the club Ambers during the season, and the, committee looks forward with confidence to the Sg season, and foels sure that member!will strive to maintain the splendid position which the club at present OCCUP"* The club funds are in a healthy condition but this is mainly due to the proportion of profits received from the late carn.va . The committee feels that, something will , .have to be done in the matter of curtailing the expenditure in connection with attendance badges. Nineteen runs were held durine the year from various places. lne average attendance was 25-a big improvement on last year,—and one the club has every reason to be proud of. Nine members are entitled to receive attendance badges, they not having missed a run during the vear. Three- club races were held during the year. These were well contested, and were the means of enabling the Selection Committee to. select the best team for the interclub events. In open events the-club has been most successful having won the Edmond Cup (for the second time) and the shield: presented to the winners of the South. Canterbury cross-coun-try championship, besides finishingsecond in the Otago interclub championship. Coming to individual performances, club members are to be congratulated on the promiaient positions thev occupied in the various events. Club members filled first and second places in the Edmond Cun, first in the Otago interclnb championship, wcond in the New Zealand cross-country championship, first, second, third, and fastest time in the jßoad Race at the Labour Day sports, first in Port Road Race, first in che One and Two-mile Races at Civil Service Club snorts, first in Civil Service Ten-mile Handicap /also fastest time). At the D.A.A.C. evening snorts meetings several wins and nlaces ■were also secured. A+ the Australasian championshins. held at Brisbane, we were represented by G. M'Knijrht, svho, thoucrh unsuccessful in winning championship honours filled a irrominent position. At. the New Zealand chamrnonship meetinsr. held at Auckland, our fellow member J. Beatson was chosen to renresen't Otasro in th* Three-mile Race, and is to ba conarratn'ated on winning- that e'Vnt —the fiw* Ota«o. . -runner to win +-Hs event since 1895. In +o am races spefir- 1 mention must K" -made of, +be runnino- 0 f T\ w rew. G. M'Km'o-ht, -T. T*eat«on. C. and F. F«-ve. .T. M'Lai'eblan. A. E. South, and A. Chambers. wKb often sacrificed their own interest 1 ' in their endea■'nuis to win events for the eluK The +hanks of the club are due to the following ' r r>v hospi f "Ktv i*nfrin.« f he year- —Mv.s Baxter. Messrs f. K. SkW. M.P.. T. L. Sanderson. J. Wilson. -T. Tf.. Wilson and Mr ind Mrs Fn». To the fol7">.winp- doners of r»>?<nag the club's thnnks are •due: —Mr T TC. Side-", ennmn'onshin nrfre Vwon by J. Beatson): f he Vjoe-V«r*flid<»nts. VMcssrs J. Brown. X Wilson, and L. Sanderson), nrizas von by A. E. South, J. M'Lauchlan, and A. Chambers. Tn conclusion, the eommittee wishes to thank the .•members for their kind assistance rhirins the year, and trusts th*t thev will make sinewed efforts to make the oncomingsea.son a success, and enable the club to nWntain th" high position it now holds in athletic circle's.

DUNEDIN CLUB

The eleventh annual meeting of the Dunedin Harriers was held on Friday evening at Kroon's Tea Rooms. There were some 20 members present. Mr H. C. Murray, captain of the club, was voted to the chair, but vacated it later in favour of Mr R. J. Jackson.

The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet, congratulated the club on a very successful season. The balance sheet was particularly satisfactory. The attendances at the club runs had been extraordinarily large, and the fact that there had been an average attendance of 24 spoke volumes for the enthusiasm of the members. In Mr Murray the club had a captain of whom they had every reason to be proud. He congratulated the club on wielding such an influence to retain such a captain as Mr Murray, who had been an active participant in club management for the past seven years. The club, too, was indebted to the secretary, who had been indefatigable in his work. The Chairman also congratulated the prize-winners, not alone because they were prize-winners, but because they had received such training in the club as placed them in the front rank. The Chairman took the opportunity of congratulating the Otago Centre on its enthusiasm and enterprise in despatching a team to Auckland for the New Zealand championship meeting, and particularly congratulated the Caversham Harriers on producing in Mr Beatson the three-mile champion of New Zealand, whose he felt was due in a great measure to his early training as a harrier. Mr Murray also congratulated the club on a successful season and the satisfactory balance sheet. „The credit balance was the best the club'had shown since its existence. The position which the club had attained was envied by other clubs, and this was due to the enthusiasm of the members, the cqmrhittee, and to the energetic secretary (Mr N. Anderson)._ He hoped to see a. very large membership during the coming season, and "trusted that the present members would induce as. many new runners to join as possible. Mr Murray particularly thanked Mr Anderson (the secretary) for his servicas, and Mr West, the treasurer. He regretted that Mr Anderson found it necessary to retire from office this season, but hoped that his successor wo.uld follow in his predecessor's footsteps. The report and balance sheet were adopted. The election of ofSce-bearers resulted as follows :—President, M. W. Johnson; vicepresidents—Messrs A. Lee Smith, J. R. Glendining (re-elected), W. F. Edmond, R. J. Jackson; captain, G. Jackson; deputy captain, D. R. Thomson; secretary, W. E. MacDougall; treasurer, H. C. Murray: official timekeeper, W. J. Burk; General Committee—Messrs A. Cannon, N. Anderson, F. B. Morrison, A. Turnbuli, T. Hodgson. C. M'Donald; hon. auditors—Messrs A. Cannon and D. Melville. The election of handicapper and the delegates to the Otago Centre were left to be elected by the General Committee. It was decided to open the season on Saturday, April 2. It was left to the committee to endeavour to arrange for a combined run on that date.

PACIFIC CLUB

The first annual general meeting of the club was held on Friday evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, South Dunedin. There were about 20 members present, and Mr W. J. Love (president) occupied the chaii\ Apologies were received from Messrs T. K. Sidey, M.P., D. J. Calder, J. R. Wilson. The secretary read the report and balance sheet, a summary of which is as follows: — The club held its official opening run on April 24 from the residence of its patron, Mr T, K. Sidey, 11 members being present, and its closing run on October 2, as the guests of its president, Mr W. J. Love, Leith street. At this run there was an attendance of 15 members—a record for the season. The membership of the club stands as follows:—Active, 19; honorary, 5; hon. officials, 6;—total, 30. During the season 22 runs and races were held, the average attendance being 12. The Inter-club Crosscountry Championship Teams' Race "was held at Wingatui on the 14th August. The club was represented by Messrs J. A. Bond, H. Clark, J. Nicoll, E. Grey, and J. Arnold, and they succeeded in securing with 168 points seventh place out of 10 teams competing. The athletic carnival and art union was held under the auspices of the Otago Centre N.Z.A.A.A. at the Garrison Half during the month of. June, and at which the club, along with the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Clubs, had one of the work stalls. The club's thanks are due to those who kindly made articles for the stall, and to the ladies who actively assisted at the stall. The annual social and presentation of prizes took the form of a social evenin"- which was held in the St. Kilda Town Hall on October 29. The club is sound financially, there being a balance of £4 5s to carry forward to the coming season. Ths following is the list of honours for the season:—Novice Race (one mile and a-half)-E.. Grey 1, J. Nicoll 2 Fivemile Championship—J. A. Outram 2, E. Grey 3. Time. 34min 20sec. Five-mile Sealed Handicap—J A. Bond 1. E. Grey 2. H. Outram 3. 100, 200, 440 Yards Handicap (highest aggregate to win) -F Richardson (104 points) 1, R. Tyne (10 points) 2, H. Clark (4£ points) 3. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—Patron. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P. (re-elected); president, Mr W. J. Love (reelected).; vice-m-esidents—Messrs J. K. Wil-son.-W. T. Macfarlane. D. J. Calder (reelected), also W. H. Riddell, sen W. N. Riddell. T. Irvine, and F. Shacklock; secretary Mr T. A. Dawson (re-elected); treasurer Mr J. Arnold; captain. Mr J. Bond (re-elected); deputy captain. Mr F Richardson • hon. handicapper. Mr J. S. Wilson (re-elected); auditor. Mr H. Outram; committee—Messrs P. Torrie, J. Cushman. H. Clark, and C.. Ross; deles-ate to Amateur Athletic Association. Mr J. Bond. The following motions were submitted ana carried, unanimously;— That rule 8 be amended ..to read. "That the annual subscription for active members be 7s 6d (for seniors), 5s (for juniors, 18 and und"'-' and 2s 6d for honorary members."; that rule 10 be amended by deleting the words "With club's monogram on left breast"; that rule 15 be amended to read, " That a trophy shall be given to every member who sha-'l compete in every .Saturday's run." Thirteen new members were elected. Mr T. K. Sidey. M.P., wrote asking that the official run of the club be held from his residence in conjunction with the Caversham Harriers. —Accented, with, thanks.:

It was decided to hold a practice run on the Saturday previous to the above run. The secretary was instructed to write to Mr T. K. Sidcy, M.P., thanking him for his kind offer, "and to Mr J. R. Wilson (lion, handicappsr), who is at present laid aside through illness.